Nocturnal Knight Frame
by Niea-7
Summary: Meet Akane Sugiura, a lively Year One day class student at Cross Academy. Her central priority; studying. Her main interest; photography. But has she discovered a certain priority AND interest on the other side of the moon dormitory's walls? IchijoxOC
1. A Gift From Home

**__****This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) You see, OCxCharacter pairings were fairly popular among their fanfiction stories and it was common for one to write a detailed profile for their OC before starting the story itself. Now I'm not the kind of person who's into all that 'vampaia' stuff when it comes to stories, but I just loved this series. This is a story of the Vampire Knight manga where I will be using the character, Ichijo, as the OC's love interest. Read on for more info!**

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

* * *

**Nocturnal Knight Frame**

OC Name: Akane Sugiura  
(pronounced _Ah_-_ka_-_nay_ _Sooh_-_geer_-_ra_)

Age: 17-18

Hair Style: Clipped up at the back with short bangs bordering the face

Hair colour: Black  
Eye colour: Yellow  
(like 'eye of the tiger' yellow xD)

Background:

She is regular Day Class student from Cross Academy; that means she's _human_.  
My personality sometimes marks me as one of the hyper ones, but I am often misunderstood for that.

She has a passion for Photography, and tends to laugh at camera facts like 'vampires don't show up on film' because she usually doesn't take those kinds of myths seriously...  
(this myth was part of what inspired me to make the OC this way!)  
Her best friend is Shindo, a shy girl who she's known from my first day at Cross Academy.  
A love interest? Well, she tries to steer clear of distractions like that so she can concentrate on her central priorities; studying, Shindo, and photography!  
Unfortunately for her, there is one such student from the Night Class that has become a perfect example of the distractions she's been trying to avoid...  
_____

The story will be based on the Manga COMPLETELY! So I hope manga AND anime fans will enjoy it. :) Especially to the fans who haven't read the manga yet. But beware, there will be MAJOR spoilers!

So, about the 'best friend'. Remember Chapter 2 of the manga or Episode 2 of the anime?  
Her name was revealed to be 'Shindo' by some day class students in chapter 17 of the manga and I thought she'd be a great character to include in my story!

Now I_ know_ that the poll's winning vote was a tie between a story for either Final Fantasy X and Naruto, don't worry I haven't forgotten! But until at least one of those two are one vote higher than the other, I'll be working on the runner-up, which is THIS one!

As I get started on the first few chapters of this one, I hope you'll find the time to read them all. ^-^

* * *

**A Gift From Home (part 1)**

_Meet Akane Sugiura, a Comprehensive Year One day class student at the private boarding school, Cross Academy. It is early morning on St Valentine's Day when she recieves a package delivered to her from her family outside school, and it is something that has satisfied her interest. But has she discovered another certain interest from the other side of the moon dormitory's walls?_

_***_

It was early morning, and all this time since coming to Cross Academy, I never thought it possible for myself to be sitting on the bed inside my dorm room in possession of this thing.  
"I don't believe it, a Polaroid!" I pulled the wrapped object out of the package that had been delivered to me and tore away the bubble-wrap and sticky-tape that enclosed it. Then I closely examined it with my eyes and hands. "S-simply amazing!" was all I could say.  
"What is?"  
I shoved the camera back into the box of foam pellets and turned my head to where the voice had coming from.  
"Oh, Shindo, it's you." I said, relieved. "My present finally came in, they even included some film."  
She walked over from the door where she had entered and came beside me. "You mean, from your family?"  
She leaned forward to take a closer look. I held it up for her to see.  
"It's a rare model." I said. "Mostly because it's an old one, but I'm having trouble getting my head around how they were able to afford such a thing! Let alone _find_ one."  
"Oh, I must be very rare then!" She tried to smile understandingly, but I found it unconvincing.

The Polaroid I had in my hand was from the vintage series of Polaroid cameras, of course, Shindo and everyone else I've met had no clue what I meant whenever I mentioned things like that.

"Anyway, let's put it to good use now. You know, since today's meant to be a happy occasion for everybody." I loaded the film using my expert skills in camera-handling.  
"Mm." Shindo nodded. "Hey, Akane."  
As I closed the camera's film compartment, I glanced at her. "Huh?"  
"Speaking of cameras, have you heard of the charm involved with camera-phones?"  
"Camera-phones?" I frowned, I thought I knew every myth to photography in history, but I never heard such involving phone cameras. "No, what sort of charm?"  
She grinned and giggled slightly. "I'd think someone like _you_ would know about it."  
I stood up, holding my new camera, and pouted. "Unfortunately I _don't_! Now, tell me what this silly phone-charm is all about and I'll find a way to prove it wrong. _As I do with __all__ camera myths!_"  
"You're not wrong there, it _is_ kind of silly." She cleared her throat. "They say that if you take a picture of the person you like and set it as your wallpaper, and nobody finds out for three weeks…then your dream of the two of you being together will finally come true."  
I stared at her as I mulled over this for a moment. Today was Valentine's Day, almost everyone would be trying out their luck over this new charm.

"Akane, since it's Valentine's, and since you always find a way to prove such camera myths wrong." She grinned sheepishly. "Are you thinking of proving it by using it on Senior I-"  
"Now, now Shindo just what are you trying to get at here?" I smiled awkwardly and waved my hand in her direction. "Just why would _I_ need to try my luck at it when there'll be loads of other people in the school who I can ask about it from a day like today?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean that since it _is_ Valentine's Day, other people in the school will be trying out this new phone-charm." I made my way over to the door. "Well then, we both know how enthusiastic the day class girls are whenever this occasion comes around." I spun around and snapped a quick picture of her standing there. "Let's capture the looks on their faces when they're turned away by the student councillors."  
I pulled out the picture that printed itself out of my camera and chuckled at it while Shindo gasped, not knowing whether to be mad at me for taking the picture, or surprised by my intention of capturing the day class students' upset faces on Valentine's.

Then as I began to take a step out the door, I asked her "You coming or what?"

.....

"Good grief." I said. "It's only early morning yet look how many girls are already here."  
Nearly every day class female in the school was waiting outside the wall and the gates that separated them from the night class dorms.  
"Good morning, Shindo, Akane." called a girl holding a small wrapped gift box.  
I was hiding the camera behind my back. "Morning." We both replied.  
"Shindo, can I borrow you for a moment? I'm going to need your help with something."  
Shindo glanced at me, I nodded and off she went, allowing her to leave me to my carry out my 'camera-testing plans' alone.

***BEBEEEEEEEEEEEEP***

What the-! Was that a _whistle_?! I glanced around and noticed Student Councillor, Yuki Cross standing on the wall, attempting to keep the girls in order from up there.  
"Day class students, your lessons are about to start!" she instructed, "Return to your classrooms immediately!"  
Her face became an expression of shock as she turned to notice something. "Hey, you!"  
I glanced at where she was looking and noticed Shindo, sitting on the shoulders of another girl, trying to pass a gift box over the wall.  
"I'm only trying to pass them the chocolates." She said as she struggled to keep her balance.  
"Stop trying to scale the wall!" Yuki shouted.  
Before too long the girl beneath her lost control and Shindo, losing balance, began to fall backwards.  
"KYAH!"  
"Oh no!" I dashed forward, shoving through the crowd.  
"Look out!" exclaimed Yuki.  
Just as I arrived on the other side of the gasping crowd I witnessed Shindo fall only to be caught by the other Student Councillor, Zero Kiriyu.  
"Th-thank you, Kiriyu." She said hesitantly as he set her down on the ground.  
"Great catch, Zero!" shouted Yuki from on top of the wall.  
"(_Well didn't HE just appear out of thin air?_)" I thought. "(_Oh darn! I should've taken a shot of that!_)"  
Zero looked at Shindo, with those scary-glary eyes he had, and said "You've been told before…"

She flinched back slightly before he turned to face the rest of the watching crowd. "The night class punks cannot leave the moon dormitory during the day. If you have something you wish to pass to them, please leave it till the evening." That's when his face got scarier-glarier. "And if you get too excited about the whole thing, be forewarned that the school might just have to put a stop to all the events you have planned for today."

And just when I was beginning to consider rewarding him for saving my best friend. "Some hero you are…" I muttered quietly.  
As the girls were all leaving by his order, I forgot all about my 'camera-testing plans' and I ran to Shindo's side. I noticed her staring at the ground, blushing slightly.  
"(_Must be from that traumatic experience._)" I thought. "Hey, Shindo, you okay?"  
She snapped out of it and looked at me. "Uh-? Why, yes. I'm fine. I'm alright now."  
I smiled and nodded. "That's good to hear. I was worried you'd hurt yourself there!"  
"Yes, well, let's get to class then, hm?" she said nervously, and began to walk ahead.

"Uh...sure." I said, even though she was already way ahead of me. I started walking after her when someone called my name from behind me.  
"Sugiura!" called Mr. Scary Glary-I mean-Kiriyu. I hesitated because I thought of Shindo walking to class alone, but I suppose she'd understand.  
I turned around and answered. "Yes?"  
"Akane, is that a new camera you're holding?" asked Yuki. I noticed the two of them both eyeing the snapshot machine I was holding in front of me.  
"Yeah," I said. "A gift from my family back home. I just recieved earlier."  
"You DO understand the rules there are against the use of cameras, especially around the Moon Dormitory." said Kiriyu. "I hope you didn't bring it out here today with the intention of breaking them."  
"Uh-Zero!" Yuki responded sharply.  
"Nope, not at all." I replied casually. "Though I _am_ considering..."  
I saw him eye-to-eye, and from the looks of it he wasn't interested in accepting my challenge. "(_Heh, smart move._)" I thought.  
"Don't worry. You have my word! I'll be heading off to class now." I turned and walked away, waving. "So long, Student Councillor...'s'."  
"Um, bye!" replied Yuki from behind, her voice sounded awkward. Of course, I understood why.

Student Councillor, Mr. Scary Glary-I mean-Zero Kiriyu has been on my back about my photography since well, ever. And then, there was that Night Class student...  
"Uh-no-gotta concentrate." I muttered to myself quietly as I sat in class.  
There IS a back story behind all this that explains everything.


	2. A Minor Dispute Allowed Me To Meet You

**__****This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) **

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

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**This Minor Dispute Allowed Me Meet You (part 2)**

_Akane Sugiura; friends with Shindo, enemies with Kiriyu. The story behind that? Revealed. One evening outside the moon dorm's gates changes her for better...and, unfortunately, for worse. What events lie in store for her this eve of St Valentine's?_

***

Student Councillor, Mr. Scary Glary-I mean-Zero Kiriyu has been on my back about my photography since well, ever. And then, there was that Night Class student...  
"Uh-no-gotta concentrate." I muttered to myself quietly as I sat in class.  
There IS a back story behind all this that explains everything.

......

Just your ordinary evening at Cross Academy, with a bunch of love-struck schoolgirls standing in front of the Moon Dormitory, inhabited by the Night Class students.  
"Hey, quit shoving!" said one girl.  
"Oh, I wish they'd come out already!" said another.  
Student Councillor Yuki Cross was doing her job, as usual. "Alright everbody, please step back." she said. "Day Class! Watch your curfew, all of you must return to your dorms immediately!"  
"Get out of the way, Councillor!" said one girl shoving with the crowd.  
"Yeah!" said another one.  
"Urgh.." was Yuki's response as she attempted to keep the girls back away from the gate.

***CREEEAK***

"KYAH! There they are!" They all screamed as the elite cohort of-supposedly-gorgeous beings stepped out of the gate and made their way to the classrooms.  
I was just an innocent passer-by who had just come back from the classrooms when these two day class girls approached me. "Sugiura! Akane Sugiura!" they called.  
"Yes? What is it?" I asked, them. One of them replied "Your camera. Can we use it?"  
I glanced down at the camera I was always carrying around. "What? No way!" I snapped, being possessive of my precious camera equipment as I always did.  
"Er-no-we mean-can YOU use it FOR us?" she said, "To take a picture of the night class?"  
They sounded eager. "PLEEEEEEASE?"  
I sighed, I still had time before dinner. "Fine. Where are they?"  
They grabbed my arm and practically dragged me to the front of the crowd where the Night Class could be seen in full view. "Over there!" They pointed. "Take one of each! If you can!"  
"Whaatever." I lifted the camera to my face, and started to focus it, zooming in on the green-eyed one, who looked my way when I zoomed. I snapped it, only to capture a silver-grey blob over the object I was originally focussing on.  
"Hey! What gives?!" I zoomed out, then flinched back when I noticed his face. "GAH!"  
The other Student Councillor was standing there, glaring at me. "You there! What's your name?" he asked.

"A-Akane Sugiura." I said. "You startled me, Kiriyu! Don't DO that!"  
"Then don't take photos. Sugiura, it's against the rules to bring cameras out here at this time."  
"You're wrong! These girls, they-huh?" I realized the girls who asked me for the photos weren't standing beside me anymore.  
"What girls?" he asked and waited impatiently for my answer.  
Angry at myself for trusting those girls, I argued with him. "There aren't any rules against photos!"  
"Yes, there are. Photos of the Night Class are forbidden. Obey them without question!"  
"I'm not taking orders against my passion!"  
"Then I have no choice but to confiscate it from your possession!"  
"You wouldn't!"  
"**_Do as I say!_**"

"You _dare_ raise your voice at a lady, Kiriyu?" said a male voice I didn't recognise.  
Kiriyu and I were too busy glaring at eachother from the argument, then I glanced out the corner of my eye in the direction of the voice.  
"Uh..?" I managed to say as I looked past his gaze to focus on the platinum-blonde night class student standing behind him.  
"Senior Ichijo. The night classes are about to start." said Kiriyu, turning to face him. "I'm handling this one just fine."  
"Why you-!" I started to say.  
"Then maybe you could start by helping out Yuki over there." said Senior Ichijo, who pointed in the direction of where Yuki was lying flat-faced on the ground after being run over by a stampede of fangirls. And another night class student-who I recognized as the night class dorm leader-went to help her up.  
Kiriyu ran to her side immediately as soon as he saw him near her.  
"Jerk..." I grumbled. "Oh-um, pardon me, uh..."  
"Ichijo." he said.  
"Senior...Ichijo." I responded hesitantly, too caught up in the beauty of the emerald forest inside his green eyes. "I thank you, Senior." I bowed.  
"But I haven't done anything." he chuckled.  
"(_Am I bowing because I'm embarrassed?_) Uh, well you saved my most prized possession from getting taken away from me."  
"You mean, that camera?"  
"Yes. (_Boy, that was a lame excuse._)"  
"I don't see many of them around the school."

"Well," I giggled "That's because I'm always carrying mine around..out in the open.."

I stopped bowing and straightened back up. "For there to be rules completely against my passion for photography...honestly, _that Kiriyu_."  
I stared at the ground in deep thought, then he leaned down, to see my face better, and said "And you are...?"  
"Um-Sugiura. Akane Sugiura." I replied, embarrassed from the attention he was giving me. I could almost feel the eyes of a group of girls watching behind me, boaring into my back.  
"Akane..." he said, and straightened back up. "Remember, no pictures!" he smiled, charming me in the process.

And off he went to class with the other night class students, while I simply stood there in disbelief over what had just happened.  
"Hey! Did you get the pictures?"  
I spun around and saw the two girls from before looking at me innocently, I saw right through them.  
"What's it to you?" I muttered with agitation. "You both left my side when Student Councillor, Kiriyu arrived."  
"Eh?" They looked at me questioningly.  
"That's a no." I said. "As IF you don't know what I'm talking about."  
I turned to leave and walked through the crowd of girls glaring at me. One of them grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.  
"Hey, Sugiura. What did Senior Ichijo say to you?" she asked.  
I froze up for moment, then casually replied "He said no pictures."  
Then as I shook her hand off my shoulder and walked onward, I could hear some commotion going on behind me.

Out of curiousity, I turned around to see Student Councillor, Mr. Scary Glary-I mean-Zero Kiriyu giving the other girls a hard time.  
"**GET BACK IN THE DORMITORY THIS INSTANT!**" he was shouting "**ANY NOISY BRAT WHO SCREAMS ****'KYAH-KYAH-KYAH'**** WILL BE PUNISHED! **_**WHO WANTS EXTRA CLEANING DUTIES?!**_"  
"AAAAAAH!" The girls screamed as they ran away-either to follow his orders, "EEEEEEEK!" Or simply because he sounded downright scary. "KYAAAAAH!"  
"(_Heh, scary._)" I thought, then went back to walking to my dorm.

......

And that's how Zero Kiriyu and Akane Sugiura became enemies...somewhat. Wait, I'm supposed to be telling this from MY point of view in first-person. Anyway, it's also because of that day, or evening, that I now have the hots for-  
"Sugiura!"  
I felt Shindo nudge me in the seat beside me. "Y-yes?" I said.  
I must've lost myself in deep thought and ended up daydreaming again. "Um-what was the question?"  
The teacher sighed, everyone was looking at me. "I understand that Valentine's is an exciting occasion for you, but you can't let yourself get distracted about your upcoming chocolate recipe during class. And that goes for all of you."  
All the girls and a few guys had begun whispering amongst themselves, some even giggled. The teacher cleared her throat to get their attention. "Miss Sugiura, you will continue reading from where Miss Shindo left off."

I glanced down at the open book in front of me, the class was reciting a poem from a book and we were reading through each stanza.  
"Uh-yes." I stood up from my seat and lifted the book in front of me, clueless over which part I was supposed to read.  
"Second line, third stanza." Shindo whispered so only I could hear.  
I cleared my throat. "...Even though the incurable wound only eat away at my heart,"  
My name is Akane Sugiura, I'm in Comprehensive Year One and a day class student at the private boarding school, Cross Academy.  
"Even now I can't completely hold back my thoughts.."  
And there are secrets about the school, that not one of every camera myth I knew of could even overcome.  
"..that dwell within the darkness."


	3. Beware of False Signals

**__****This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) I noticed with my other chapters that the formatting was unusual and it made the words come out close together. I shall get to work on fixing that up in the future. THIS chapter doesn't have that problem though, so please, read on!**

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

* * *

**Beware of False Signals (part 3)**

_During the eve of St Valentines, Akane discovers that some of her classmates have decided to try their own luck at the person she secretly admires. This causes her to be momentarily troubled by this. At the same time, her best friend starts behaving strangely; warning her to ignore brief indicators that are easily misunderstood... _

***

The day went by quickly and the students were abuzz with the Valentine's business throughout the whole day before, during, and after classes. The girls were especially excited about the evening event, when they would be allowed to give their Valentine's gifts to their beloved Night Class student.

"Yeah, _right_." I scoffed.

I was sitting at my table in the classroom just after class finished. Some people were leaving and some were staying behind to further discuss their plans.

"Hey, who are you giving yours to?"

"Kyah! I'm not telling."

"Oh, no. What if it tastes bad?"

"Hey, do you still have any more of that ribbon you used?"

Shindo was sitting beside me straightening the sheets on the desk to put into her bag.

"Everyone's chit-chattering away…" I commented, leaning back on my chair with my hands behind my head.

"They sure are!" Shindo smiled awkwardly when she responded.

I glanced at her and asked, "Shindo, are you giving chocolates to anyone?"

"UH?! That's-well…" she shook her head. "No, I guess."

"Huh…"

She was blushing slightly for some reason, though I decided to leave her to it and ask about it later.

Sighing, I leaned back further on my chair with my hands behind my head, and placed my feet on the desk in front of me.

"Um - Akane?" said Shindo.

"_Whaaat_…class is over anyway." I replied.

"I suppose, but um…you know it's bad luck to have shoes on the table.."

"Now now, Nadeshiko. You know I'm only an enthusiast at camera myths."

I winked at her, and she was forced to smile.

That's when I overheard another group of girls in the room talking about something that interested me.

"Hey, are you going to try that new phone charm?"

"Sure am!"

"It's a night class student, isn't it?"

"Yup!"

"Who?"

"Heehee…Senior Ichijo."

I flipped my hands out from under my head in surprise and ended up falling sideways with the chair.

"Heh, you TOLD me. So that means the phone charm won't work!"

"Oh, no. Not fair!"

***THUD***

"Ah - ! Are you alright, Akane?" Shindo asked as she ran to my side.

Feeling dazed and obviously embarrassed from my clumsy fall, I nodded at Shindo and quickly got up to dust myself down.

"I'm fine…" I said to her, as she was watching me with concern.

The girls from before had their attention to me. They stared in wonder, I glared back, and then they went back to their conversation.

"(_Well, at least I know they won't be able to test it on him now. But why am I so worried about that?_)"

Shortly after, Shindo and I left the classroom and started making our way back to the moon dormitory's gates. Halfway there, she suddenly stopped walking.

"Huh?" I turned around when I couldn't see her walking beside me. "Is something the matter, Shindo?"

She was staring at the ground in deep thought, before she looked at me and said "You leave first, Akane. I'll meet you there later." Then turned and ran back the other way.

"Hey, hold on!" I called.

"I'm sorry! Just wait for me there, okay?" she responded. It appeared she was heading back for the sun dorm.

"(_Maybe she forgot something?_)" I thought.

.....

Outside the moon dorm's entrance there were gates lined up, each one labeled with the name of a favored night class student.

"Alright now, everybody! Line up!" demanded Yuki, one of the student councilors running this event. Kiriyu stood next to her uninterestedly monitoring the place.

"Hey, you! Don't jump the queue!" she was shouting at some of the girls.

"Hey, Akane! Who are you giving chocolates to?" asked one of the girls lining up.

"Well, nobody. Actually, I'm only here to watch." I smiled goofily.

"Boy, you're no fun." She stared at me, unimpressed, then went back to lining up.

***KYAH KYAH KYAH***

...It was becoming dark, and the gift giving session was coming to a close.

"Wow, the crowd sure is enthusiastic this evening." I stated.

Later, I raised my camera in front of me to take a snapshot of the day class girls in all their love-struck splendor over the night class students. I paused; half-expecting Kiriyu to show up and present me with a speech on anti-camera-ism, but no silver blob appeared in front of the lenses. I lowered my camera.

"(_That's weird…_)" I thought, then glanced around and noticed Yuki glancing around too. Not in a 'supervising the area' kind of way, but in a 'where did 'SOMEONE' disappear to?' kind of way. "Hey, Councillor Cross!" I called.

She turned around, saw me, and walked up to me. "Akane?" she said, "Sorry to ask you this, but, have you seen Zero around?"

"No, I haven't." I replied. "Heh, I'm guessing you thought he left after having another argument with me?"

"Oh, no. Not at all!" she grinned. "Erm…well, maybe a little. It's okay. I'm sorry for bothering you!" she bowed, then went back to her student councilor duties.

"(_Speaking of which…_)" I thought, "(_Shindo still hasn't shown up yet._)"

I scanned the area, anxiously looking for any sign of her, but found nothing. Nothing, until my eyes once again fell upon the face of the night class student whose kindness changed me on the day I first noticed him.

He was being friendly and accepting gifts from all the day class girls behind the gate marked with his name. I watched distantly, with interest, until I noticed his face change, as if he felt someone's eyes on him.

It didn't help when he turned his head and looked right in my direction. I went red in the face and quickly turned away to face my right, but when I glanced out the corner of my eye, I was tempted to look back again. And when our eyes met for just five seconds, he smiled and waved at me with his free hand-the other hand was holding presents. I didn't know what to think, so I responded by smiling-with embarrassment-and waving back, until his attention was turned back to one of other the girls lining up for gift-giving.

Unsure of what to do next, I left the gift giving session and made my way back to the sun dorm; I decided I'd wait for Shindo there. "(_Hmm…I think I'm satisfied with my Valentine's present for this year, but what should I do about a repayment?_)" I thought to myself, and I wasn't referring to my camera.

.....

It was…kind of late by the time Shindo finally returned to our dorm room.

"Where were you?!" I quickly slid off the bed I was sitting on and ran up to her. "You didn't turn up at all during the Valentine's gift giving session. I was totally worried!"

"Sorry about that, Akane." She replied, smiling sheepishly. "I had some business to finish."

I looked at what she had in her arms; one neatly wrapped and untouched box of Valentine's chocolate.

"Eh? Who were those meant for? The gift giving session is over, you know." I stated.

"Then let's not let them go to waste." She practically threw them at me and I was forced to catch it in my own arms to prevent them from falling. "Happy Valentine's, Akane!"

She was speaking awkwardly and rapidly. I watched her move to the other side of the room and sit on her bed, with her back facing me.

"Shindo…?" I set the Valentine's gift aside. "Speaking of Valentine's, Senior Ichijo waved at me today!" I flopped onto her bed, lying on my back. "You know, for him being too 'far-away' for me, getting a wave from him can be a pretty darn good present."

"Is that so…?" she replied, rather quietly.

"Yup!" I sat up and turned my head to her. "Although, I'm wondering how I should return the favor…"

Senior Ichijo of Cross Academy. The only things I know about him are that he's a member of the Night Class, the vice Moon dorm leader, and that Ichijo is his family name. A little while after he 'rescued' me from that argument I was having with Kiriyu, I took notice of him from then on. Over time…I started to really care about him. So, I want to learn more about him.

I frowned as I remembered how our eyes met, and how we exchanged waves.

"_(But I can't even say anything to him…_)"

For now, I'm happy with…just being able to watch him from afar, day after day.

"Hey, Akane." Shindo said suddenly, awaking me from my deep thought.

"Um – Yeah? What is it?"

"If someone were to give you some sort of signal, and you took it the wrong way…" she began, "Then when you try to repay them in reference to that same gesture, and they decline your compensation…"

"Shindo…?" My eyes narrowed as I listened, I watched her eyes become somewhat teary.

"What do you do _then_, Akane?!" she suddenly burst out, "What do you do after realizing how much you've just embarrassed yourself in front of them?"

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Now now, Nadeshiko. Don't cry."

She brought up her hand to her eyes to prevent the brief tears from falling. "I'm not…"

I glanced at the box of chocolates left on the other bed. Then, it occurred to me.

"Shindo." I saw her eye-to-eye, and spoke firmly. "Who's the person who rejected your offer? Tell me their name and I'll give them a piece of my mind!"

"_Lately, it's not like he's had enough of your pieces of mind already._" She replied, only not nearly so clearly, her voice sounding much softer than she probably meant.

"What was that? Who…?" I asked.

She shook my hand off her shoulder and stood up. "Nevermind." She made her way to the dorm room's exit. "I'm going to head for the bathroom. I-I'm sorry for worrying you."

The door opened and she stepped outside.

"S-Shindo!" I called, but the door had already shut. I sighed as I went over to sit on my bed. "(_What's up with her?_)" I thought.

.....

I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep before Shindo finally returned from her bathroom break. As I turned over so that I faced away from her bed where she lay falling asleep herself, I heard her say "Akane, what I really meant about before…" I heard her move in her bed a little bit, and she finished with "…Senior Ichijo's wave to you, I just want to make sure you don't make a similar mistake."

"You mean…taking it the wrong way?" I asked, but got no answer. Minutes later, I realized she had fallen asleep, and sleep followed _me_ minutes after.

***

Thanks for reading!

_So, just why is Akane's best friend and roommate behaving the way she is?_

_What does she mean by the advice she is giving Akane?_

_Will Akane just continue her admiration of Ichijo from afar as a result of this?_

_One thing's for sure, the secrets residing in Cross Academy will have saved something very special instore for her._

Stay tuned for the next one! ^-^


	4. Indirect Affairs

**__****This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) Many thanks to all the people who reviewed/favorited and are enjoying this story. You keep this story alive!**

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

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Indirect Affairs (part 4)

_Akane's room mate has been ignoring her as of late. After hearing what she had to say about ignoring brief indicators that are easily misunderstood, she has been bothered ever since. "I just want to make sure you don't make a similar mistake." Akane will soon discover what it really means to stand back and do nothing about obtaining fulfillment in pursuit of what she really wants._

***

I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep before Shindo finally returned from her bathroom break. As I turned over so that I faced away from her bed where she lay falling asleep herself, I heard her say "Akane, what I really meant about before…" I heard her move in her bed a little bit, and she finished with "…Senior Ichijo's wave to you, I just want to make sure you don't make a similar mistake."

"You mean…taking it the wrong way?" I asked, but got no answer. Minutes later, I realized she had fallen asleep, and sleep followed _me_ minutes after.

.....

_Dear Diary,_

_These past few days have been tense._

_Shindo and I have stopped coming by the gates of the Night Class Dorm since Valentine's Day. Normally, when I bring up the topic about Kiriyu's latest annoyance towards me, she would giggle very slightly through her awkward smiles. But lately that hasn't been the case._

I glanced up from my pages and at my roommate lying asleep in the bed across the room.

_Although we're always seen together, we've hardly spoken since that night. I think she's mad at me. She spends most of her time studying, sleeping, or ignoring me._

_I've continued my 'indirect affair' with Senior Ichijo. And while I am satisfied with just watching from afar, what Shindo said to me earlier has been bothering me ever since._

Speaking of bothering, the night after Valentine's, Shindo told me about some strange feeling that swept over her and made her shiver all over. It was as if she had sensed something wrong that night.

……

"_Like…someone I know is in trouble." she had said._

"_Huh…could it be someone you deeply care about?" I teased. "Besides me of course, I mean, for you to be able to sense a wrongdoing that well, it HAD to have come from somewhere or someONE important."_

_She clutched her hands to her chest and pursed her lips._

_I realized how more worried I was making her. "You know what? Forget what I just said, I'm just exaggerating. Go back to bed okay? You'll feel better."_

_I forced a smile, and she nodded hesitantly in response._

……

I turned over in my bed so that I lay on my back, facing the ceiling.

"(_It's been five nights since Valentine's. These days she just doesn't seem herself anymore. Whatever happened to the Shindo I always knew?_)"

I sighed and shut my eyes, trying to nod off for the rest of the night.

.....

That morning it was term break. Shindo and I were in our dorm room just chilling out. I wanted to use my cell phone to respond to a text message I'd received earlier from a classmate, but my batteries went flat.

"Oh, no." I sighed as I tapped the screen repeatedly with my fingernail; no response. Then I glanced over at Shindo's cell sitting at the end of her bed.

"Hey, Shindo, I'm going to use your phone, okay?"

Just as I stood up and reached for it she dived forward from where she was standing and snatched it from me.

I looked up to see her staring at me with an alarmed look on her face.

"S-Shindo?" I asked, puzzled.

"Um, I – " she managed to say, and then just turned away while clutching her phone.

I felt a grin spread across my own face, as I assumed what she was up to.

"No way…" I said in disbelief, half-joking.

She nodded rather slightly.

"Shindo!" I creeped up from behind and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, taking her by surprise because she yelped and quickly held her phone against her chest to cover the phone's screen. "It's that phone charm, isn't it?"

She didn't respond, so I said "You've got a crush!"

"Akane, I don't want anyone to know!" she quickly replied.

"It's alright," I said "Although…" I released her and put my hands to my hips. "I think you have some explaining to do."

She sighed and put her phone away in a drawer inside one of the bedside tables.

"Since Valentine's," she said, "That's how long it's been going for. And that's how long I've been…sorry."

"Huh?"

"Sorry for not paying you any attention lately. I probably should've told you sooner."

"Don't sweat it!" I said, waving my hand in her direction. "I understand that you want to do this your way." I lowered my hand and turned to the window. "As I have _my way_."

Shindo gasped and stood up from her bed. "Oh, Akane, I'm so sorry! I was too absorbed in my own crush to realize how you were handling _yours_."

"It's alright." I said, not turning away from the window. "You're taking a similar approach, I think."

Neither of us said another word.

.....

Later that day, I grew seriously bored.

I stomped over and screamed out the open dorm window.

"AHHH! I'm sick of this!"

Shindo, startled by my sudden outburst, dropped the study notes she was looking over at the study desk and almost fell off her chair.

"Ah-Akane?" she said.

I marched angrily to the closet and pulled out a trenchcoat.

"Shindo, I'm heading out." I said. After getting dressed, I placed the strap attached to my camera like a necklace around my neck.

"Out?" she asked.

"Yup, just for a walk." I replied.

"_In __academy__ grounds?_"

I froze. "(There _was a bit of an icy edge to her voice just now. She's suspecting it - _)"

Quickly, and gracefully so as to disguise myself, I waltzed over to the door.

"Uh-huh!" I replied. "Don't worry, I won't be long."

I opened the door and stepped out, then poked my head back in to see her frowning crossly at me.

"Heh…sorry, did you want to come?" I asked.

She continued to stare at me with that look for a brief moment, before turning back to her study notes and saying, "No, it's alright. I'll stay here."

With that, I left the dorm, snuck out through a hidden, non-fortified part of the campus fence and put Cross Academy behind me.

.....

"(_Cross Academy restricts students from leaving school grounds._)"

I knew it was wrong, and believe me, I feel terrible for lying to Nadeshiko and leaving her behind alone. But…

"(_It's fine! I'm just going to…stock up on some more film! Yeah, that's right. And then I'll quickly return…still, it's no excuse for breaking school rules out of sheer boredom._)"

After thinking that, guilt dawned on me once again.

I sighed. "(_Anyway, I hear the Night Class are also on holiday today. So I won't be seeing him again this evening either._)"

As I wandered the streets of town outside Cross Academy, I decided to stop by a café whose ice cream was well known for its popularity. When I stepped inside, however, I managed to catch sight of two familiar people sitting at a table together.

"Nyah!"

I ran back outside and quickly slid behind one side of the arched doorway to the café to hide myself.

"(_What are the school's student councilors doing here?!_)" I thought with panic.


	5. Outside Cross Academy

**__****This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) Sorry if this chapter is too short. I hope you are pleased with it otherwise! I'll update on the next chapter soon-ish.**

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

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Outside Cross Academy (part 5)

_An attempt at exploring the area outside campus grounds lands Akane in a tight spot at risk of getting into serious trouble. In trying to escape, she accidentally has an encounter with one of the horrors surrounding the secrets of the very school she is part of..._

***

As I wandered the streets of town outside Cross Academy, I decided to stop by a café whose ice cream was well known for its popularity. When I stepped inside, however, I managed to catch sight of two familiar people sitting at a table together.

"Nyah!"

I ran back outside and quickly slid behind one side of the arched doorway to the café to hide myself.

"(_What are the school's Student Councilors doing here?!_)" I thought with panic.

I popped my head around to see if they had spotted me yet; they hadn't.

Some of the waitresses shyly approached their table and started talking to Kiriyu. I couldn't hear what was being said, but I noticed his eyes widen at them while Yuki quickly stood up from her chair, exclaiming something and frowning at their remark. Subsequently, Kiriyu stood up and left the table, his head lowered as he walked towards the café's exit.

"(_What was that all about?_)" I wondered, and then realized Kiriyu was walking towards the café exit. "(_Oh no! If one of them sees me here, I'm finished!_)"

I looked around restlessly for a place to hide. The place wasn't crowded enough so there was no way I'd be able to disappear among the people, and I wasn't exactly a fast runner either.

***K-CHAK***

At the sound of the door opening, I panicked and dashed into a nearby alleyway.

.....

I'd been too busy trying to escape getting caught to know exactly what time of day it was. Looking up at the darkened sky among the dark alleyway's roof tops, I realized it was indeed sunset.

"(_Huh…then it's about time I started heading back._)"

Just as I turned my head to look away from the sky, I spotted something on one of the roof tops. It was…a dark 'whooshy looking' thing, like a misty blanket rustling in the wind. "What the hell…?" I managed to say.

I shut my eyes and opened them again to see if I was imagining things; it was still there. "(_A ghost?_)" I thought, but even _that_ was impossible.

Suddenly it jumped, really, jumped from roof to roof towards a deeper part of the alleyway. I knew I should've headed back to school right there and then, but curiosity took over, and I followed it.

Instinctively, I grabbed hold of my camera and raised it in front of my face to snap a photo.

"Akane Sugiura?"

"Huh? OOF!"

I bumped into someone before I could press the shutter button. Dropping the camera and leaving it to dangle on the strap around my neck, I looked up to see Student Councillor Yuki Cross surprised to see me.

"Oh, Student Councillor. Um…" I smiled awkwardly at her. "(_I'm done for!_)"

"What are you doing outside campus grounds?" she asked.

I raised my hands in front of me in surrender. "Look, I know what you're probably thinking, but I'm notbreaking any rules. Honest!"

She responded with a look that said '_Really? Is that right? I don't believe you._'

There was a rustling noise behind me.

"Ah! Sugiura, get back!"

"Uh - ?"

She grabbed my shoulder, pulled me forward past her and stood in front of me holding a 'staff looking' object to – block the oncoming approach of the 'dark whooshy looking thing'.

I gasped. "That's - !"

On closer inspection, the 'thing' was in fact human in shape, but its appearance was totally unrealistic. "(_A superhuman??_) H-Hey…"

"_**Hehe…Your blood…is calling out to be sucked…**_" it said, in a voice almost too distorted to be recognized as normal.

"A vampire?" Yuki muttered in shock. At least, I think that's what she said.

"Uh…" I started to say, "D-Did you just call that thing…_vampire_?"


	6. Accidental Rendezvous

**__****This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) This is actually the last chapter I had published on that site, and it was left discontinued from there. I'm impressed with the positive feedback I've recieved for this story on this site though, so I will definitely continue it here. When I'm not too busy, that is. I don't need reminding! Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

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**Accidental Rendezvous (part 6)**

_An unfortunate encounter outside Cross Academy lands Akane in a problematic situation. Who would've thought that her next meeting with Senior Ichijo would be outside campus grounds, after sunset, in the middle of a vampire hunt directly involving the man himself? At this point in time, however, that is the least of her worries…_

***

There was a rustling noise behind me.

"Ah! Sugiura, get back!"

"Uh - ?"

She grabbed my shoulder, pulled me forward past her and stood in front of me holding a 'staff looking' object to – block the oncoming approach of the 'dark whooshy looking thing'.

I gasped. "That's - !"

On closer inspection, the 'thing' was in fact human in shape, but its appearance was totally unrealistic. "(_A superhuman??_) H-Hey…"

"_**Hehe…Your blood…is calling out to be sucked…**_" it said, in a voice almost too distorted to be recognized as normal.

"A vampire?" Yuki muttered in shock. At least, I _think_ that's what she said.

"Uh…" I started to say, "D-Did you just call that thing…_vampire_?"

She didn't respond, I noticed her right elbow had blood soaking through her jacket, and that she was sweating. It seemed like her reaction of shock had her frozen on the spot. Frankly, I couldn't blame her. I took one more glance at the 'creature' and found myself walking backwards slowly.

It spoke again, "_**I shall feast on…every drop that's running in your veins!**_"

What happened after that took less than a second. The creature lunged itself at her and then I heard someone say, "Snap out of it, Yuki!" Then that same person rushed past me, grabbed Yuki's 'staff-like' object and charged it into the creature's face, making it stumble backwards away from us.

I simply stared at the person who had just done all of that.

"Kiriyu?" I managed to say.

"Zero!" exclaimed Yuki, then I noticed the staff make a crackling noise and it was giving off sparks, almost like electricity, where his hands were holding it.

"I don't think Artemis…likes me." He uttered. I had no idea what he meant by that.

Yuki fell to the ground on her knees beside Kiriyu, grasping the wound on her right elbow.

"Why are there vampires here?" she wondered.

"(_That word again…_)"

Just then Kiriyu turned his head to me, glaring. "Why are _you_ here?" he asked.

"Huh?" My forehead started sweating. I thought of how news would get around that I, Akane Sugiura, had been caught trespassing outside campus by both Student Councilors, consecutively.

Just as I did with Yuki, I raised my hands in front of me in surrender. "Look, I understand what you're thinking but I wasn't breaking any rules. Honest!"

Just as Yuki did with me, he responded with a look that said '_Really? Is that right? I don't believe you._'

Ugh, prefects. Such skeptics they were.

We heard voices somewhere around the alleyway.

"Ya hear a commotion comin' from the back?"

"Yeah, it's been goin' on for a while."

Both of our eyes widened.

"A gang fight or somethin'?"

"Let's go take a look!"

"Damn." said Kiriyu, as he glanced back at the strange being. "We must not…let anyone _else_ see this creature."

"(_Hey, who do you mean by __else__?_)" I thought, but knew he meant that I'd already seen it.

"_**Blood…**_" it said.

"You used to be human, right...?" he asked it.

"_**Yeah? So what?**_" it replied, before lunging at him.

Kiriyu raised Yuki's staff in front of him to prepare his defense. Instinctively, I grabbed hold of my camera and raised it in front of my face to snap a photo.

But before the creature could land its attack on Kiriyu, it suddenly split in half vertically and was reduced to dust; I hit the shutter button just as that happened, and hoped maybe they'd mistake the flash from the camera for the creature's death.

Yuki gasped and said, "Ah-! You're-!"

I quickly slipped the printed-out photo from out of the camera into the inside pocket of my trench coat as the dust cleared. What – no – _who_ I saw standing before us had me stunned.

"Mission complete." said Senior Ichijo, before looking surprised to see me immediately after saying that. I stared right back at him in the same manner.

"No chance for me to stretch my muscles, huh?" said the person standing beside him, I recognized that guy…

"Night class students…" I heard Yuki say, she sounded relieved. "Senior Takuma Ichijo and Senior Senri Shiki. How did you…?"

"(_So __that's__ his first name._)" I thought, but that was far from important right now. "(_Is that a…__katana__?!_)"

"Why are you off campus?" Yuki continued, "And why are you doing this…"

At that moment, Senior Ichijo moved his gaze from me to Yuki, changed his expression as he lowered his 'weapon' and raised his forefinger at her.

"Tut tut, Yuki." He said, "You'd better get back to the academy and get that wound treated a.s.a.p. Our noses are incredibly sensitive you know."

In response to that, Yuki started grasping her wound again.

"What about her?"

Everyone turned their gazes to me as soon as Senior Shiki asked that. When they did I realized I'd been staring at Senior Ichijo the whole time and looked down, embarrassed. That's when I noticed the dust on ground left behind by that creature, and my cluelessness of the situation erupted.

"N-never mind me!" I blurted out, waving my arms around. "Uh-buh-guh! What just happened?" I shakily pointed my finger at the pile of dust, with an angry yet anxious expression on my face, and screamed "What the hell WAS that thing?!"

When nobody answered, I looked up to see the expressions on all their faces.

I noticed Kiriyu's face first. It wasn't too obvious, but there was contempt written all over it.

I glanced down at Yuki, her face was troubled and apologetically dressed.

I turned my head, looked across from us and saw Senior Shiki's face, which showed something of an 'I couldn't care less' attitude.

Finally, I averted my gaze towards Senior Ichijo. He was…looking at me tenderly. An exclusive look almost as special as the wave I exchanged with him the other day. There was compassion in his eyes that couldn't compare to the uncertainty present in _my _eyes. Aside from all that, he actually looked…_almost as sad for me as Yuki_.

My heart leaped, but it also started aching.

"You're that female Day Class student...Akane, was it?" He finally said, he looked past me at the two Student Councilors. "Yuki, Kiriyu, she really doesn't know?"

Yuki answered first. "Um, she just – "

" – happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kiriyu finished for her.

I turned my head around to see them; their faces hadn't changed. "You know full well what needs to be done."

"(_Are you talking to __me__? Wait, what do you mean by that?_)"

I heard footsteps moving toward me. When I turned around I froze up almost instantly as Senior Ichijo – who was now standing one foot in front of me – raised his hand to my forehead and stopped right there. Before I realized it, I was holding my breath.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, his neutral expression changed for half a second before focusing again, moving his hand over my eyes.

"So," I breathed at last, sounding like I'd just swallowed a rock. "What's going to happen to me?"

After taking one final glance at me, he sighed and turned away, lowering his hand.

"Shiki," he called out to that other Night Class student, "Come over here and take over, if you may."

"Uh?" was my immediate response.

Senior Ichijo stepped aside while Senior Shiki obediently walked over and raised his hand in front of my face in the same manner. I glanced earnestly over at Senior Ichijo, who looked uneasy, but gave a reassuring smile at once after seeing my face.

"Do not worry," he said. "You'll be alright."

The last thing I remember seeing was Senior Shiki's hand over my eyes.


	7. Bizarre And Unfamiliar Knowledge

**__****__****This is one of the stories I transferred over from my other website. (visit my profile for full details) **My sincerest apologies for not updating in so long. Fact is, that last chapter was actually published in November last year! Then I tossed this chapter up and down my priority list and eventually left this story as discontinued. Lucky for you readers, things have changed since then. So h**_ere is the long awaited chapter to my Vampire Knight story! Sorry if it isn't much. Thanks to everyone for your continued patronage!_**

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

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**Bizarre And Unfamiliar Knowledge (part 7)**

_Akane wakes up in bed that evening with no clear memory of what she was up to that day. Worse, she has lost her precious camera! After somehow being able to recover some of her memories, an ordered meeting with the Student Councilors drives her to ask herself...is she ready to handle the exclusive knowledge of certain secrets?_

***

I opened my eyes and found myself in bed, back in my dorm room.

"A dream?" I looked around, and noticed I was wearing a trench coat over my everyday clothes. "(_What just happened? Why am I dressed like this?_)" Then it occurred to me, "(_That's right, I was bored and…I snuck out of school grounds…to buy more film for my camera and…then I came back here?_)"

Just as I was pondering this, I heard the bathroom door open and looked up to see Shindo walk out from behind it.

"Akane, you're awake!" she said when she noticed me, and ran to my side, "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"I'm…fine, I guess." I replied, "Um, what time is it?"

"Just after seven." she said, "You came home a little later than – uh – expected. But I can see why."

"Huh?" I said, "What happened, exactly? I just came back safe on my own, right?"

"Um…" she seemed hesitant to give me an answer, at first, "Yes! You were so worn out you passed out right on your bed!"

"Oh…" I wasn't entirely convinced, but it sounded right, I guess.

"So, did you have a nice walk inside Academy grounds?" she asked bluntly.

I glanced at her, and noticed that she was staring right through me; her stare was almost as piercing as Kiriyu's.

"Sure did!" I forced a smile, "You might not realize it, but the campus sure is big."

Shindo nodded in response, "I see. Well, I'm glad that you're back safe and sound." Then she went over to her bed where her night dress was laid out.

I lowered my head and put my hand to my forehead, sighing. I started to wonder, "(_What exactly did I do today…that made me pass out upon getting here?_)"

……

When I woke up the next day, something that should've occurred to me last night sprung to mind that morning.

"OH NO! Where did I put my camera?!" I exclaimed, jolting upwards in bed.

I glanced around the room in panic, then rushed out of bed and ran past Shindo's bed – she was still asleep – towards my belongings. I emptied my suitcase so that most of the floor was covered in my mess. Searching frantically through all my things, my camera was nowhere to be found.

"It's not here!" I stood up from sitting on the floor and started pacing up and down the room, "(_Okay. So, I snuck out of school yesterday, picked up some film, came back, and then…_)" I stared out the window in surprise just as a mental blank took place, "(_Huh? I seem to have forgotten something important…_)"

My train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door.

***KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK***

"Akane Sugiura? Are you in there?" said a female voice on the other side.

"Dorm Leader?" quickly, I ran to the other side of the room and opened the door to see her standing there, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Akane." She answered, "Sleep well last night?"

"Uh…yeah." I said, "Hey, have you seen my camera around?"

She looked at me questioningly, and then shook her head, "I haven't. That's surprising to see you not having it on you."

I smiled awkwardly, "Heh, I know. So, what brings you here?"

"A message from the Student Councilors." She handed me a folded piece of paper.

I took it from her with a surprised look on my face, "Huh? What would they want with me?"

"Akane, you haven't been…" she crossed her arms, "Sneaking outside campus, have you?"

"WHAT? No!" I reached my hand out and patted her shoulder firmly, "Now why on earth would I do that?"

She took my hand off her shoulder casually, "It's just that…you sounded bored yesterday."

I recalled how I had shouted out of the dorm room window yesterday afternoon, "Oh, _that_…"

The dorm leader shook her head, "Never mind, anyway. Just listen, even if it _is_ term break, there's no right in breaking school rules, understand?" She turned away and started walking down the hallway.

"Don't sweat it, dorm leader!" I called out, and then shut the door.

Shindo turned over in her bed, still sleeping. I went over to sit on the side of my bed and unfolded the piece of paper given to me by the dorm leader. The note read:

"_Sugiura,_

_Meet us outside the moon dorm's gates this afternoon. We'll be waiting._

_The Student Councilors._"

Funny. There was no explanation whatsoever about why they wanted to see me in the first place. Student Councilors…wait, WAIT! I remember now!

"(_I ran into them yesterday!_)" I thought to myself, and then realized, "(_Oh…no, that can't be._)" My shoulders sagged as I dropped the note in my hand upon realizing, "(_I was caught sneaking out, wasn't I? I was caught sneaking out by __both__ Student Councilors…consecutively. Dorm leader was right, now I really __am__ in trouble._)"

I sighed and fell backwards onto my bed, "Well, there's no right in breaking school rules. Even on term break. Might as well face the consequences, there's right in _that_, at least."

……

"What do you think they'd want to see you for, Akane?" Shindo asked me that afternoon while I was getting ready to leave.

"Uh…who knows?" I replied.

"Maybe they finally realized enough is enough." She said jokingly.

I turned to face her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know. You and your camera facts, your arguments with Kiriyu."

"Now that's just silly. Surely there's a more reasonable explanation than that."

"I suppose."

I went over to the wardrobe to pick up my trenchcoat, "(_I can't tell her I snuck out of the academy yesterday, not after telling her I wouldn't._)" I put the coat on and adjusted it comfortably, "(_Student Councilors…that's right. Something else happened, something…important._)" I wandered away from the wardrobe as I slowly began to recall, "(_I ran into Yuki first. She saved me…saved me from what? Darn! Why are my memories so fuzzy? Then Kiriyu, he warned me not to let anyone else see…see what? It all happened yesterday, right? I gotta remember! First of all, who or what did they rescue me from?_)"

My hands slid into my pocket while thinking, and I found something in there. "Huh?" I pulled out the piece of paper and looked at it; it was a photo.

***B-BMP***

I gasped in horror.

"Akane?" Shindo's voice cut in, "Is something wrong?"

***B-BMP B-BMP B-BMP***

My heart started racing. I turned my head to my roommate and forced a smile, "Hm? Oh, it's nothing. Just…had an epiphany of some sort."

"A _what_? Your face is as green as a goblin." She said, concerned eyes showing beneath her lenses.

"I'll tell you about it later, I'm running late. Sorry, bye!"

Shindo shouted something as I rushed out of the room, but I didn't hear it. I was overcome with panic and sudden alertness.

"(_Why? Why did I forget? About that 'monster' in the photo? And Senior Ichijo's arrival? He was using a __katana_,_ for crying out loud!_)" I was outside the sun dorm now, heading towards the moon dorm, "(_That's right, Yuki saved me from that 'dark-whooshy-looking thing'! She couldn't handle it, so Kiriyu stepped in to help. There were others in the alleyway, and he warned not to let anyone __else__ see that creature. He was about to defend himself from its attack, when suddenly, Senior Ichijo appeared and finished it before he could even begin!_)" I stopped meters in front of the moon dorm's gates, panting heavily from exhaustion, "(_For some reason, those are the only things I couldn't remember!_)"

"Hi, Akane!"

I spun around and saw one of the Student Councilors, Yuki, approaching, waving at me as she smiled.

I calmed myself down, "Oh, hi, Student Councilor."

She stopped in front of me, "Sorry for calling you out here..."

"It's no trouble." I said, then noticed that she had come alone, "Hey, he's not with you today? That stony-faced boy, I mean…"

"PFFT!" she replied, "He might be kinda weird, but he's not a bad person…"

"Right…" I said, "Hey, have you seen my camera by the way?"

"Oh…well, um – "

"Hold on." I stopped her in the middle and reached into my pocket, "Thought you might want a look at this."

I handed her the photo of the 'monster'. It showed Senior Ichijo striking the air vertically with his katana, but the actual creature wasn't visible on the film.

The look on Yuki's face became one of shock as she examined the photo.

"Akane," she said, "When did you – "

"Yesterday, remember?" I cut in, "Maybe…maybe you'll believe the story about that photo, since you weren't afraid of that monster." I turned my head the other way, "At least, you weren't _at first_."

A moment of silence followed.

"So you _do_ remember." Yuki said at last.

I was surprised when she reacted differently from what I expected, and turned my head back to her, "Yeah, I do."

She stepped forward, a serious look of awareness on her face, "Tell me all about it."


	8. My Involvement

**_Wow! Thank you so much for all the reviews everyone. I truly am honored by your attention, so I plead guilty for another late chapter. Yes, w___****ho IS this lazy girl posting chapters ****MONTHS **_**after the previous one? UNFORGIVABLE! Truth is, I haven't been in a creative writing mood lately. I'm working on THREE STORIES at once too, hence my late update. *gets ready to dodge a brick* But many thanks to you all for sticking with me this far. Was this chapter worth the agonizingly LONG wait? I'll leave that up to you readers.**_

Disclaimer: _Vampire Knight and all its characters rightfully belong to Matsuri Hino-sama. x3_

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**My Involvement (part 8)**

A moment of silence followed.

"So you _do_ remember." Yuki said at last.

I was surprised when she reacted differently from what I expected, and turned my head back to her, "Yeah, I do."

She stepped forward, a serious look of awareness on her face, "Tell me all about it."

I was floored, and, unsure of what to do next, I opened my mouth to speak. "Well –"

"Yuki!" someone else called out, cutting me off.

We both turned our heads in time to see the other Student Councilor making his way towards us, a displeased look on his face.

"Zero." said Yuki.

"Kiriyu? Nice of you to join us." I remarked.

He ignored me and grabbed Yuki's arm, as if to pull her away, "Yuki, what do you think you're doing?"

"Asking her what she remembers, of course." She replied, snatching her arm back.

"You do realize her memory of last night was supposed to be gone." He said.

"And yet she can still recall those events clearly. Shouldn't we at least hear her out?"

"What more is there to tell? She's obviously bluffing."

"Now you're just being unreasonable!"

"Even if she is telling the truth, what about the fact that getting her involved is putting an innocent human in serious danger?"

"I'm right here, you know!" I cut in, before Yuki could react.

They both glanced at me, noticing I was standing there listening the whole time.

"What you said about putting me in danger…" I began, "How serious are we talking here?"

The staring continued, until Yuki let out a sigh, then handed the photo I gave her to Kiriyu.

"Take a look, Zero." She said.

Kiriyu looked skeptical for a moment, prior to taking the photo off her. I watched as his eyes grew wide, just as Yuki's did.

"Now do you believe her?"

Yuki and I waited for his answer while he studied the photo. He exhaled through his nose, before glancing up at me.

"When exactly did you take this?" he asked.

"Just before it attacked you." I answered, "And just as Senior Ichijo struck it."

Kiriyu paused to stare at me, "…Why?"

To be honest, I wasn't too sure myself. The only answer that made sense to me was, "Instinct…I guess that's what happens when you've been taking photos for as long as I have, huh?"

Yuki frowned at my attempt to lighten the mood, and I knew how serious they really were about the situation. Vampires? Get OUT of here! They're just...tales, not something that would ever exist in real life.

Kiriyu sighed, interrupting my train of thought, "Suguira, you should go home. And forget this ever happened." He slid the photo into his coat pocket and turned his back to me.

"I – hey!" I started to say, "Nice try, remember what happened the _last_ time I forgot?"

Kiriyu froze, until Yuki spoke up.

"She remembers, Zero. She remembers everything! Even after…"

Her voice trailed off. That's right; the last thing I remember was Senior Shiki's hand over my eyes. What did they do? What exactly _happened_ to me?

I was going to ask if what they dealt with really was a vampire, or if there was more to it. However, with how things were going at the moment, I knew they weren't going to give me a straight answer.

I was sick of this, whatever it was they were keeping me in the dark about. No matter…right now I just wanted my camera back.

"Well whatever!" I said, "Where's my camera?"

"Just go home, Suguira." Kiriyu replied, "You're safer there."

I was taken aback, "That's it? You're not even going to tell me what happened to it?"

"Suguira – "

"That was a gift from my family!"

He turned his head to look at me out of the corner of his eye, "I'm warning you…"

"Zero!" Yuki hissed at him.

He simply faced the other way and didn't move, as if waiting for me to leave. I glanced at Yuki, who gave me a helpless look.

I raised my hands in surrender, "You don't have to tell me twice." I walked back to my dorm in a huff. "(_What a waste of time…_)"

…

That night while I was asleep in bed, I heard a knock at the door to my dorm.

"The heck…?" I rubbed my eyes as I sat up in bed, glancing over at the other bed where my roommate, Shindo, was sleeping. She didn't seem aware of it and was fast asleep when the knocking continued. I groggily stepped out of bed and walked over to the door to answer it.

"ARGH! A GHOST!" I flinched back upon opening the door…only to realize who was _really_ standing there.

"Me? A ghost?" Kiriyu asked, not amused.

"I guess that cold stare of yours gave it away, Zero." Yuki joked; she was standing beside him.

"Actually," I said, "I was startled by his hair…color."

Yuki stifled a laugh while Kiriyu gave me a look that said, 'You're kidding, right?'

I pretended to nod earnestly in response.  
"Going back to what we were originally here for…" said Kiriyu, "Come with us."

"What?" I asked, "It's almost midnight! Why now?"

He had this serious look in his eye, "I don't like this anymore than you do. If you ask me I think we're about to make a huge mistake bringing you along. But because you were _also_ there that night…"

"We're in the dark about this, just like you are." said Yuki, "We want to find out what's really going on."

I had a feeling they knew more than they let on, that they were only telling me the 'half-truth'.

"Well…" I started to say, "Where are we going?"

"To the Night Class dorms." Yuki replied.

"(_Of course! Senior Ichijo was there too!_)" I thought, "(_And Senior Shiki…what __were__ they doing there? And why did Senior Ichijo have a __katana__ with him?_)"

I found myself thinking of how 'cool' his swordsmanship was, then pushed it to the back of my mind when I felt myself blush. I turned my head to see Shindo still snoozing away in her bed, then turned back to the Student Councilors.

"Are you coming, or _aren't_ you?" Kiriyu asked somewhat impatiently.

I sighed, "Just give me a minute." I left the door and moved to the wardrobe where I changed out of my PJs and back into my uniform.

"I still say this is a bad idea." I heard Kiriyu say from outside the door.

"You don't think I agree with you?" Yuki replied, "I know…I know her memory is supposed to be gone, but –"

"COMPLETELY gone!" Kiriyu cut in, "You and I witnessed that for ourselves."

I stood still for a moment. If they were right, then what I experienced this morning was…

"I just think, since her memory's still intact, she deserves to know." said Yuki, "And so do we!"

There was no response from Kiriyu, then Yuki spoke again.

"Besides, maybe they can enlighten us on the 'flaws' in Senior Shiki's memory erasing ability on her."

I almost fainted on the spot. My memory was _erased_? How could -

"Yesterday reminded me that despite all the secrets I'm familiar with, there's still a mountain of things I know nothing of." She continued, "That's why tonight…"

A clicking sound, the sound of metal on metal. Kiriyu sighed, "She's taking her time. Think she fell back asleep?"

I came back to my senses at that moment, and went back to getting ready. When I returned and walked out into the hallway, shutting the bedroom door, I noticed a shiny silver object in Kiriyu's hand.

"Is that…" I took a step back, "…A _gun_?"

"Easy there, Akane." I heard Yuki tell me, "Don't panic."

"Easy for YOU to say!" I exclaimed, "What the hell is THAT for?"

"Will you keep it down? Or do you plan to wake up the whole dorm?" said Kiriyu.

I clapped my hands over my mouth in response, then whispered harshly, "If it means warning them of possible danger, sure! I mean, you're carrying a _weapon_! Plus I thought you were a _ghost_!"

He stared, unimpressed, "Are we really discussing this again?"

"Be quiet! Both of you!" Yuki hissed, "Akane, you might want to stay close."

"I'll say!" I replied.

Kiriyu scoffed, "She means both of us."

"What?"

Yuki paused, "The Night Class students. They're…different at this hour."

"(_Other than the fact that they're taking classes when __we're__ not?_)" I wondered, "What do you mean? They're regular students just like us, right?"

Kiriyu began walking ahead, "We've wasted enough time here already. Let's just go."

"Councilor Cross?" I stared at her. Was it me, or did she look worried?

"He's right. We should get moving." She passed by me and followed him, "And remember to stay close."

Not sure how else to react, I walked off after them.

…

We were getting close to the Night Class Dorms when Yuki was arguing with Kiriyu about going alone. Turns out she'd planned to go alone in the first place and protect me by herself, until Kiriyu interfered.

"I wouldn't have to spend so much effort watching over you," he said, "If you weren't all puny and weak."

His fellow Student Councilor begged to differ, "Give me a reason not to throttle you."

When we stopped just outside the gates, Yuki made not of how awkward she was feeling, "We're entering Moon Dormitory Grounds…this place sure has an atmosphere of its own…"

"(_And it's midnight too…_)" I thought, "(_What's __with__ this place?_)"

A breeze passed between the three of us, just as both Student Councilors in front of me drew their weapons. Yuki with her 'staff looking' object, Kiriyu with his 'that-should-not-be-legal' gun.

"Have you come to welcome us…_bloodsuckers_?" Kiriyu remarked.

"(_HUH?_)" Before I realized it, two Night Class students – whom I recognized as the famous Senior Aido and Senior Kain – had surrounded us on both sides.

"Oh yes, Ichijo invited you. So we don't have a choice in the matter." said Senior Aido.

"You can try defending yourself against every one of us." said Senior Kain, "Don't say I never warned you though."

"All of our comrades are gathered here tonight." Senior Aido added, "I'd watch your new meat _closely_ if I were you."

He was watching me, and for some reason I felt kind of intimidated by those cold blue eyes. Yuki stepped in front of me defensively, her weapon raised.

"Just stay calm." She whispered.

I stood my ground until they led us in.

Once inside the dorm gates, I noticed all the other Night Class students, along with new guests I didn't recognize from our school, dressed up and down in glamorous clothing. It was either that, or this eerie feeling I couldn't shake off once we were more than ten steps into the place, totally surrounded.

"He's over here." said Senior Kain who went off to find somebody.

While we waited, Yuki stared strangely at Aido, maybe she was unimpressed by how he was the only one still in his Night Class uniform. Kiriyu's eyes were wandering elsewhere on the opposite side. What on earth was he looking at? I was about to glance in his direction when something else caught my eye – I mean – _ear_.

"Assistant Dormitory Leader Ichijo, the people you invited are here." Senior Kain called out.

My heart doubled at the sight of Senior Ichijo as he turned to face us.

"Ah!" he remarked, "Yuki! Kiriyu! Glad to see you two!"

"Huh?" was Yuki's immediate response.

Senior Ichijo raised his arms in a welcoming gesture, a great big smile spread across his face. In contrast with the mood of everyone else around us, a bright and optimistic aura seemed emanate from him while he said "Welcome to my birthday party! Enjoy yourselves tonight!"

Caught off guard by his announcement, I didn't know how to respond. "(_Today's his BIRTHDAY__?_)"

"Looks as though he's in a world of his own…" Yuki muttered.

The night was just getting started.


End file.
